Taebo Advanced Live Vol 4 is a real treat - lots of cardio, a good mix of moves, but not too too hard. At the end he does a whole bunch of standing leg work that requires good balance. He even does a standing version of The Pretzel, which is called "Attitude" in ballet-speak. This is a good butt workout that will really get you sweating. He gets very playful towards the cooldown where he introduces different dance moves and invites you to have fun with it. A good, light-hearted Taebo with good but not killer cardio, and no floor work at all.

This workout takes place in Billy's new studio. I like it a lot better. It's more spacious and much brighter. I really enjoyed this workout. It had lost of new kicks. There is no floor workout at the end, but standing work is done. If you want more floorwork, just do vol 5. This workout is a great cardio workout. I was dripping sweat at the end of the workout, and felt a good burn in my abs and thighs. This tape is a must for any advanced tae bo fan.

Instructor Comments: Billy gets better and better each workout. He still is one of the best instructors out there.

WOW!!! A little background. I bought the 3-pack Tae Bo video set along with everyone else. Then bought the Tae Bo Live Vol. 1 for $29.95. I was very dissapointed with Vol. 1, uneven, too fast, just never got in the sync with this one. Then I read all the reviews on Vol. #4, 5 and 6 and got interested in Tae Bo again. Well thanks to a couple of VFr's on the Forum I gave in and started the Tae Bo club. What a difference!! Billy is just great on this video.

He starts you with a good warm-up (no neck rolls) and eases you into some intense Tae Bo moves. Lots of punches, kicks, squats, grapevines with punches and kicks, always a little intro into a new move then right on to the move. Some punching bag but not a lot, with constant reminders on your form and to use your abs. My glutes were just burning with all the side and roundhouse kicks. This video is 60 minutes, but as stated he does standing leg work which keeps you sweating and burning. BB moves around the room and shows you the correct way to place your foot or knee,how high your leg should go (only if you can) and to use your ABS. The cool-down was fun with the twist and the Monkey, but not enough. I did all my stretching on my own, but no big deal. I had so much fun that the 60 minutes just flew by. BB is a great motivator and he comes accross as a very sincere person. Needless to say I was PUMPED UP!!!

Instructor Comments: As stated by previous reviewers, Billy is in the "groove" on this one. He is really comfortable in this video. With Shelley counting he is able to keep the balance on both sides of the body and keep you moving. Definitely looking forward to more videos from BB.

Tae Bo advance #4 is filmed in Billy Blank's
new studio. The studio is much brighter.
The class is smaller and I love the block
window in the background. All you can see is
the silhouette of a gal, who happens to be
his assistant, Julianne.

There's something pretty special about Tae
Bo AL#4. It definitely is a notch above the
other three live tapes. I feel that Billy
Blanks has taken Tae Bo to an all new level
beginning with AL#4.

Most of the music in this tape is unique.
I believe most of it is created just for
Billy Blanks. The soundtrack is fantastic!

For those of you who found the first three
of the live series too fast paced, I highly
recommend this video. This is not to say that
you will not get a great workout, you
definitely will be sweating at the end of
this tape. What I'm saying here, is that the
kicks are slowed down and there is no double
time kicks. This tape is the most doable of
all the advance live tapes.

After approx. 7-8 minutes of warmup and
stretching Billy takes you through approx. 30
minutes of cardio work before he begins his
focus on legs. He has lots of new combos and
they are a blast to do. Both sides of your
body are worked equally.

The leg work is done standing up. I'm
always amazed how great a workout Billy
delivers standing up. His standing leg work
lasts approx. 15 minutes. This is just an
estimate. I have never timed this section of
the tape. Billy Blanks then cuts loose and
has a lot of fun. He does some can can style
kicks and the Monkey. He also does a
sequence of punching where he starts off
slowly and slowly builds up the speed and
intensity.

This tape is destined to be, "a favorite."
Everyone that has posted about this tape,
loves this tape. Billy has taken the "safety"
issue out of this tape. It's a very safe and
thorough tape.

Instructor Comments: Billy Blanks is such a down to earth type
person and he is a very motivating
instructor. His personality has blossomed
since his original studio video set. His
smile is contagious. It's obvious that he not
only loves producing these workouts, but he
truly believes in his work

This is another advanced winner Tae Bo workout. It has a brand new set which is much more spacious then the old Tae Bo live video's but just as exciting and motivating and fun! There is still the bright red rug and they also added a big screen in the back with someone doing Tae Bo in the shadows. so you just see a silhouette of someone doing Tae Bo on the big screen. The warm-up consists of side punches, jumping jacks, side to side punches, side reaches and much more. A typical Tae Bo warm-up with hipflexor, hamstring and inner thigh stretches. The workout is so FUN! Lot's of different punch variations. Some of the moves are Alternating punches, heel toe with arms up(Billy shows a low impact version), 3 punch with a knee up, single speed bag as you move around on your toes, double upper cuts. Some of the kicks are front kicks, side kicks, front kick into a roundhouse, front-back kicks(he gives great form pointers), jumping jacks with a roundhouse, roundhouse with a punch, 3 point roundhouse, double knee-roundhouse and a punch and isometric roundhouse hold. As you can see, lot's of variety!! He also does a grapevine with a punch and then the punch turns into a side kick. Shelly ( Billy's daughter) is much more vocal and cheers the class on. There is a final standng leg toning section which is so tough! It is toning for the butt and outer thigh. Billy has you go at half tempo and then at tempo. He also does an arabesque move which really works the butt. He is so funny because he gets kinda embarrassed thinking he is doing ballet but then tells the audience, "Don't think I'm doing ballet!" Then he does a squat with a front kick which is very challenging to do after all the standing leg work. Billy then gets so silly! He starts dancing around doing the Monkey, the Twist, the Macarena and then has everybody hold hands and does the Can-Can. It is sooo funny seeing Billy doing the Macarena!!!! I was laughing so hard when I previewd it. But then after I did the workout,it was fun to do after such a hard workout. Billy says," Have some fun! Have a good time after that hard workout!". The final part of the workout is some tough 1 minute of punching which really got my heartrate up! At the very end, he says,"How do you feel?" and then he runs around to try and find you. There is no stretch at the end. This was a good sweat with lots of punches and kicks! It really challenged me. The music is really upbeat and motivating as usual. Some of the songs are ,"Come To Me", "Favourite Shirts(Boy Meets Girl)", " Summer Lovers", "A Little Bit of Ecstacy", "True That", "The Happening". Don't miss this workout!

Instructor Comments: In this Tae Bo workout(and I have all of them), Billy is the most relaxed I've seen. He is serious but also gets silly and starts dancing around. He is full of smiles and encouragement. Like he says "Good job!" or " It's all about having a good spirit and loving eachother". He chases the camera and talks to you as if you are right there. He shows excellent form during the kicks and also gives some great form tips. He also tells you to get water or rest if you need to. He is wearing a bright yellow Tae Bo shirt. His energy is contagious!!!